


Falling Flames

by niallsecretluvr



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: This is trash, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-11
Updated: 2015-06-11
Packaged: 2018-04-04 00:10:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 9,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4119583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/niallsecretluvr/pseuds/niallsecretluvr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Kallisa! Help me!" My brother called for me as I ran. There was no turning back, not even for him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Prologue

By now, the blades were really starting to cut up my sides. Not only were they long, but they were incredibly sharp. Like needle sharp. Still, there wasn’t much I could do about it.

“Are you almost there?” An annoying voice in my earpiece, known as Blaiz, asked me.

I scurried behind a bush and shape-shifted back into myself.

“I’m working on it, okay Blaiz? Don’t rush me!”

“Sorry. I was just wondering.”

The ‘Sorry’ had way too much sarcasm to really mean anything.

“Well feel free to stop at any time.”

There was silence on the other side of the conversation. A smile began to form on my lips.

“I’m going to shift back, so stop trying to talk to me. You’re beginning to become very annoying.”

I shifted back into the guinea pig that I was before and took off towards the mansion.

~~

I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Jones, Kallisa Jones. I am 16. I have golden-brown hair and piercing blue eyes. I have no family except for the agency that I work for, NiMH Incorporated. I have a shape-shifting ability. And I have told you too much already.


	2. Early Morning Breakfast Club

_“Run, Kallisa, Run!”_

_I tried to run but my feet wouldn’t move. I looked down and saw that one foot was trapped under a large piece of a board that had fallen from the rafters. I moved my other foot and it hurt like hell. I looked downward at it and saw why. There was a piece of broken glass, which looked like a cross, stuck in the top of my foot. I tried to remove it, but it was in too deep. The fire was starting to surround me. I tried again to move, but I remembered I was stuck. The fire was beginning to eat at my clothes._

_“Kallisa!”_

I woke up with a start. Niall Horan was staring at me with a very concerned expression.

“Are you ok? I think you were having a nightmare.”

Niall is one of my favorite people in NiMH Inc. He’s tall and fairly buff. He’s 20 years old and very attractive with his blond hair and blue eyes. He was very kind and gentle, which made him all the more lovable. His ability is becoming invisible, which honestly can be very annoying at times.  
“Yeah, I’m ok. But I am a little hungry.” I say, hoping he will pick up the hint.

Niall gave me a warm smile.

“Well, the kitchen is downstairs and last I checked you could get up.” he teased.

I rolled my eyes at him, but got out of bed anyway.

“I’ll meet you down there, ok?” he asked in his sweet voice.

“Ok. See you in a little bit.”

After he left, I went into my closet and picked out a blue t-shirt, a nice pair of skinnies, and my favorite black converse shoes. I did my hair into its usual side braid and headed downstairs.

~~

When I got downstairs, everyone was already there. I didn’t feel late though. Most of these people were early risers. I went to the fridge, got out an apple, and sat down at the table with my best friends.

“So you can find your way down here.” Niall said with sarcasm and a little bit of teasing.

Everyone else at the table tried to stifle their laughs. I knew I had to say something back, so I did.

“Yeah! I’m actually more surprised to see that you made it down here.”

More stifled laughs, including Niall. A satisfied smile found its way onto my face. I took a bite of my apple.

“You’ll never guess what my parents sent me,” said Zayn. He was always full of excitement. He had raven-black hair and brown eyes.

“Let me guess,” said Raini. She had choppy black hair, emerald eyes, and braces. “They sent you concert tickets to the show next week.”

“That wasn’t fair you should have let someone else answer first.”

Raini has mind reading ability.

“No one was going to.” Raini looked at everyone else. “Right?”

The other four of us nodded.

“See?” Raini said to Zayn.

“Ok. Fine. You’re right. I’m sooo excited!!”

I smiled at that. He seemed so happy. I looked down at my apple and saw that I ate it all. I got up to get another one. Niall got up, too.

“Yes?” I asked, as he followed me into the kitchen.

“I’m just hungry. Is that a crime all of a sudden?” he faked the hurt in his voice.

“Actually, it is.” I said, in a very know-it-all tone.

He put his hands up. “Okay. You’ve got me.”

I couldn’t help it, I laughed. Niall started laughing too. I hardly noticed that everyone was staring at us. All of a sudden, the emergency light started flashing and the sirens blaring. We stopped laughing and ran into the control room.


	3. Losing Control

The control room is a big room with dark blue walls and ugly gray and black hardwood floor. On the south wall is the biggest TV you would ever see, except it’s not a TV. It is the monitor that we use to know what is happening in the world. On the other walls are smaller monitors. They range from a mini portable TV to two sizes smaller than the Monitor.

On one of the portable TVs is a cute little gray kitten stuck in a tree. It looked so fluffy. Sadly, we don’t help with those kinds of problems. We have to stick to the bigger problems.

Only certain people are allowed in the control room: the head of NiMH Inc., Louis Tomlinson; the second-in-command, Bridgette Davis; Niall, and me. Bridgette was late, like always. She always claims that she doesn’t hear the alarm or that she is a heavy sleeper and sleeps through it. We all know that she just doesn’t want to ‘walk all the way to the control room from the dining area.’ Her words not mine.

“What is it Louis?” Niall asked, with no sign of the boy from in the kitchen.

“Well, I’ve been watching these tectonic plates for a while. They are going to cause a 9.0 earthquake.” Louis said, pointing to an ocean and a land plate.

“Do you know where exactly?” I asked, curious to know the answer.

“Not specifically, but I do know the approximate place and the surrounding areas.”

“Do you know what time it might happen?” Niall inquired. We both leaned forward with eagerness.

“That’s the problem. According to my calculations, which haven’t failed me, it should have happened at precisely 3:19 p.m. last week on Wednesday the 23rd.” said Louis, who was beginning to get frustrated. “Maybe it’s just me. Maybe my powers are starting to disappear.” He sat down, looking defeated.

Just to let you know, Louis’s power is to predict the future, and accurately too. He’s not a circus freak that you’re used to seeing. First of all, the circus people lie. Second, all they want is money. Louis is different from that. He uses his amazing powers for the greater good and he isn’t paid. I may admit to having a little bitty crush on him, but who doesn’t?

“Louis, there’s no way that you would lose your powers.” I said in my most defiant, yet loving voice.

“You don’t know that for sure, Kallisa.” Louis looked up at me with his kind eyes. “You know Kallisa, you are the most--“

I’ll never know what he was going to tell me, because at the exact moment Bridgette walked in the room.

“So,” she said in her most preppy and attitude-full voice, “What’d I miss?”

Louis got up and went over to the monitor and told her what he had just explained to us.

“Oh,” Bridgette said trying to sound interested. We all knew she wasn’t. The only reason she’s second in command is that her dad gives us most of our funding. “You wanna know what I think?”

“What do you think Bridgette?” inquired Niall, with a good amount of sarcasm. I almost forgot he was in the room.

“I think that Louis lost his powers and therefore should be kicked off NiMH and have his memory erased.” believed Bridgette. She’s been after his head job ever since NiMH was created.

“Bridgette, how could you say something like that?!” I practically yelled at her.

“Well it’s probably true anyway.” She said with so much sass, I just wanted to smack her right then and there. However, I knew if I did, she would tell her dad and I would be kicked out of NiMH. I didn’t want that to happen. I had no other life than this one.

I was about to say something when the door opened. I looked over and saw Kazia carrying Harry, who was all bloody. Bridgette shoved passed them and ran out of the room with her hand on her mouth like she was going to hurl. Kazia looked over her shoulder for a little bit, and then turned her attention back to Louis.

“Sorry to interrupt.” said Kaz, completely breathless. “But Liam and Harry got in a fight and now Liam is passed out and Harry is all gross and bloody.”

Louis got up and picked up Harry. Before he left, he turned around and looked at Niall and I.

“I need you two to get Liam and bring him to the infirmary.” And with that Louis and Kazia left.

I looked at Niall.

“Well come on.” He said already at the door. “You heard Louis. Let’s get Liam to the infirmary.”

He turned and walked away. He didn’t even check to see if I was following. That is so not like him. I ran to catch up with him.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked, trying to match his pace.

He didn’t say anything. He just walked faster. There was no way I was going to give up that easily.

“Hey. I’m trying to talk to you.”

Again, he didn’t say anything. He was really starting to get on my nerves.

“Hey! I don’t know what your problem is, but—“

He stopped walking and turned around, “Let’s just stop wasting time and get Liam to the infirmary before Louis gets mad at us.”


	4. The Infirmary

When we got to the door of the infirmary, we set Liam down for a little bit. He’s heavier than he looks. I was about to knock on the double door when they opened by themselves. A figure ran past me, pushing me a little when she passed. She had her hands up to her eyes. It looked as if she was crying.

I looked at Niall. He continued to look forward. I looked behind me, but she was no longer there. I turned back around and helped Niall pick up Liam and we went into the infirmary.

The infirmary was a massive room located on the far south part of NiMH’s building. It was a room that was added after a couple years when NiMH started getting more and more people. It looked kind of like a hospital with the long, beige curtains that separate the patients. There were about 20 beds along each side of the isle. The walls were the same ugly color as the curtains. The floor was a white speckled tile. I told Louis that we should remodel, but he turned down the idea.

Niall and I laid Liam into the first bed on the left, then went to go find Louis. We found him in the seventh section on the right. He was wrapping Harry’s cuts and bruises with gauze when we found him.

“Hey Louis,” I said.

“Oh, I didn’t hear you come in.” Louis replied.

“We caught the door when Kazia ran out.” Niall explained. Oh, so that’s who that was.

“Oh.” Louis said. “So where did you put Liam?” I would have thought he was trying to avoid the subject.

“He’s in the first bunk on the left.” Niall replied, coldly.

“I’m going to go look at his injuries.” Louis said, finished with wrapping Harry’s cuts.

As Louis started to leave, I stopped him.

“Why did Kaz run out like that?”

“I don’t know.”

I could tell he was trying to avoid giving me a straight answer.

“Louis, I know you had something to do with it. Don’t bother lying to me.”

There was a minute of silence until he gave me his answer.

“I told her that Harry was going to be badly injured sometime next week and she just lost it. I didn’t even tell her how.”

“Louis!”

“What?!”

“Why in the world would you tell her that?!”

“I thought she hated Harry.”

“Wow. You are so blind,” said Niall. I forgot he was there.

Louis turned to Niall. “What do you mean?”

“She obviously likes him. I don’t know how you didn’t figure that out.”

“Well excuse me! I’m not a girl expert like you apparently are.”

“I am NOT a girl expert!”

“Oh yeah? Then how did you know that?”

“It was completely obvious. Anyone could tell she likes him.”

They were only inches apart from each other. I didn’t want them fighting. That would be really bad.

“Guys!” I say a little too loudly. They both turned to look at me. Well, at least they had heard me.

“What?!” they say in complete unison.

“Now is not the time to be fighting.” They gave each other cold looks.

“I’m going to check on Liam.” Louis announced, and then left us alone with a passed out, bandaged Harry.

“I’m going to be in my room if you need me.” And with that, Niall left.

I just stood there and watched him leave. For some reason, I felt like I wouldn’t see him again for a very long time.


	5. Traitor

“What do you mean he just left?!” I practically screamed at Louis.

“He just left. He didn’t leave a note or anything. Someone went to check on him and found that his bed was made and there was nothing left of his belongings,” explained Louis calmly.

“They probably looked in the wrong room. He couldn’t have just left.” I started pacing Louis’s room’s carpet.

“It was the right room. I even looked for myself. You can too, if you want to.”

I had so many emotions fighting to come out, that I just sat down on the floor and started to cry.

“Kallisa, it’s okay. Please don’t cry. You’ll make me feel bad.”

No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t stop crying. Louis came and sat down next to me. He tried to make me smile, laugh even, but nothing was working. I couldn’t believe that Niall would just leave. It's just not something that he would do.

After a couple minutes that felt like hours, I eventually stopped crying. I got up and wiped my eyes.

“I’m going to go to my room. If you need me, don’t bother. I’m not leaving my room.” And with that, I left Louis’s room, shape-shifted, which is restricted, into a cheetah and raced across the Institute to my room.

When I got inside, I shape-shifted back into my human form and fell on my bed. Since I cried in Louis’s room, I didn’t have any tears to shed, so I just stared at my ceiling. I was so tired from crying. I had one final thought before I fell asleep.

I must find Niall.

~~

_“Kallisa” a voice called. “Kallisa”_

_I looked around. I was in the middle of the forest near my old home. I knew these woods like the back of my hand. I started down the familiar path, but it didn’t look like I remembered. Something was wrong, very wrong._

_“Kallisa”_

_I heard the voice again. It was closer. It seemed like it was right behind me. I whirled around, but no one was there._

_“Kallisa”_

_I tried to ask who it was, but my voice didn’t work. I heard a crackling noise in the distance. I turned to see what it was, but oddly enough, I knew exactly what it was. When I looked, I found out that I was right._

_The woods were on fire._

_I tried to shape-shift but I couldn’t do it. I don’t know what it was, but I just couldn’t shift. I tried running. It worked, but I didn’t go that fast. A turtle could have passed me at the rate I was going._

_The fire was getting closer._

_I tried to run faster, but no matter what I tried to do, I couldn’t go any faster._

_The fire was only feet away from me._

_I knew I couldn’t outrun it, but I at least had to try._

_The fire was right behind me._

_I knew I was dead._

I snapped awake in cold sweat. I have no idea why I keep having dreams like that. Well, I do, but I’m not eager to tell anyone, not even you.

I shook my head trying to erase the memory of the dream. I sighed; it wasn’t working. I looked at my digital clock on my nightstand. It read 1:45. I hope they still have lunch out. I’m starving.

I left my room and headed to the kitchen. On my way there, I passed the control room. I heard two voices talking in a hushed tone. It sounded like Louis and a much deeper voice I recognized to be Bridgette’s dad, Mr. Davis. I couldn’t help it. I had to know what they were talking about.

“I still don’t understand why you did it,” Mr. Davis said.

“I had to get rid of him. He was undercover. And for some reason he seemed really interested in Miss Jones.” I can’t believe they were talking about me behind my back.

“Why do you think that is?”

“If I knew I wouldn’t have contacted you.”

“If you knew what was best for your job, you would have contacted me anyway.”

“Right,” Louis replied, sounding defeated.

“Okay, enough of this distraction, I want an answer.” Mr. Davis said very firmly. “Why did you force Niall to leave NiMH?”

“He is working for K.RO.S.”


	6. 10 O'clock

I was so startled that I stood frozen in shock from what I just heard. Niall was working for K. RO. S. That Agency is trying to work against us. You see, we operate better than they do and all they want is to know our secret, but for some reason Mr. Davis doesn’t see it fit that we share such ‘valuable’ information. Honestly, I don’t see the harm.

On the other end, I heard Mr. Davis answer back. I didn’t get to hear what he was going to say, because at that exact moment, my phone decided to go off. The voices on the other side of the door became instantly quiet. I knew I needed to hide, but I couldn’t fit anywhere in my human form.

I took my phone out of my pocket, left it on the floor, shape-shifted into a mouse, and hid in the mouse hole right beside the door. Just in time too. Louis looked out to find the source of the noise. By then, the ringtone had stopped and the hallway was dead silent again. He looked left and right but found no one. My phone was a dark blue which happened to match the carpet in the hall. He shrugged and went back inside.

I crawled out from the mouse hole and Shifted back into myself. I picked up my phone and stuck it in my pocket. I Shifted into a bat and flew back to my room. When I got outside of my bedroom door, I Shifted back, opened my door and walked in, heading straight to my bed. I plopped down and looked at my missed calls. I almost couldn’t believe whose name showed up on my screen.

**Niall Horan**

****

Niall had called me. After he left with no goodbye, he decided it would be okay to call me. Wow, you can never underestimate guys, can you? Within a couple seconds, a notification popped up that said I had a voicemail. I clicked on it and listened.

“Hey Kalli. If you get this message, would you mind calling me? I’m sorry if you’re mad that I left, but it was for the best. Please call me. Well… um… bye.”

My phone signaled that the message was over. I took the phone away from my ear and stared at it as if it was a foreign thing I’ve never used before. Something in me was telling me not to call him because of what I heard a little bit ago. The other part of me told me to call him, that way I would know what he wanted and to ask why he left. I gave in and decided it was okay to call him. Therefore, I did.

After about 2 rings, he picked up.

“Niall?” I asked just to make sure I had the right person.

“Is that you Kalli?” asked the beautiful familiar voice of Niall.

“Yeah,” I replied relieved to be talking to him again.

“Listen, I need you to do me a favor. I can’t talk much right now, but I would like you to meet me in the little alleyway between Poppie’s Pizzeria and The Living Room Bookstore. Meet me tomorrow at 10 p.m. after everyone’s asleep. I’ll tell you everything there. Are you in?” he asked, explaining everything fast, but slow enough that I could understand it.

“Yeah.” I said totally trusting that Niall wouldn’t hurt me.

“Cool. See you then. Oh, and Kallisa?”

“Yeah?” I asked, hoping he would tell me something about why he left.

“Don’t bring anyone else,” And with that, he hung up, leaving me staring at my phone all over again.

~~

“What do you mean he was kicked out?” Raini asked for the thousandth time.

“He was kicked out by Mr. Davis,” I said, not wanting to blame Louis for anything.

“What for?” Zayn asked, taking a bite of his salad.

“I’m not sure. All I heard was that they kicked him out,” I said, eating a fry.

“They?” Zayn and Raini asked together.

“The official assembly,” I said, quickly covering up my mistake.

They nodded and went back to eating their supper. I thought about what Niall had told me. I needed to tell someone. I excused myself from lunch and made my way to my room.

When I got there, I texted Raini and asked her if, when she was done eating, she could come to my room. She quickly replied with a ‘yes’. I sat cross-legged on my bed and waited for Raini to join me.

“Hey girl, what’s up?” she asked, sitting down next to me.

“Niall called me and wants me to meet up with him. I already told him I would and I might not go,” I explained, hoping that this made more sense out loud than in my head.

“You have to go. You already said you would. You can’t go back on your word, it would seem super suspicious. Plus, he trusts you and that’s always a good thing,” Raini comforted. I nodded along to every word she said.

“Now let’s get you all dolled up,” Raini said, pulling me off the bed. She dragged me towards my closet and flung open the doors. She smiled at me before rummaging through my clothes.

“Here,” she said throwing me a thin black shirt and my favorite pair of skinny jeans. “Don’t forget these,” she commented, grabbing my navy blue converse shoes from the bottom of my closet.

“Now hurry up and get dressed, Kal. It’s not every day you get to see your Prince Charming alone,” she winked then left, closing the door after her.

Prince Charming? No way! Niall and I are strictly friends and nothing else. Besides he wouldn’t want to go out with someone like me. I’m not exactly his type. Now that I think about it, I don’t even know what his type is, but I can easily tell you it isn’t me.

I sighed and changed out of my clothes and into the ones that Raini had picked out. When I finished putting on my shoes, I stood up and checked the time: 7:10. I had some time before I had to meet Niall. In that time I could easily work out a plan incase anything suspicious happens.


	7. Dressed In Black

After pacing the floor about a million times, I checked the clock again: 9:45. I sighed, knowing I had to leave now so that I could meet Niall on time. I pulled on my black hoodie, just in case. I mentally got myself together and opened my door.

The hallway was quiet as I snuck out of my room. I quickly double-checked the halls before Shifting into a mouse. I scurried down the corridors until I reached the big oak doors at the front of the Institute. I crawled through a little crack in the door and hurried to the street corner where the cameras wouldn’t catch me. I Shifted back and mentally figured out my coordinates.

Luckily for me, whenever I Shift, my clothes automatically melt into my creature’s skin. The best thing, though, is when I Shift back, my clothes are exactly where I left them. I don’t have to think them on or anything like that. If I did, I would’ve been caught way too many times.

I figured out that I was only 8 blocks south of where Poppie’s is. I pulled up the hood on my hoodie and headed in that direction. I didn’t pass many people when I walked. In fact, it seemed like no one was out at this time of night, which was really weird, because people are always out. I guess the cooler weather kept them inside tonight.

About a block before I reached the alley, I Shifted into a black cat, in case someone decided to call me in or something like that. I stretched my paws out in front of me and started my block walk.

I really like Shifting into a cat. Sometimes I think life would’ve been better if I was a cat. Sadly, though, staying as a cat would really damage my Shifting ability.

As I sashayed to the alley, I waved my tail back and forth, which is one of my favorite things to do as this lovely feline.

“Hey there, pretty little kitty,” a semi-deep voice called.

I meowed, which is always the safe thing to do, just in case.

“Are you lost?” he asked, this time bending down so I could hear his voice better.

I meowed a response back and rubbed against his leg.

“You have got to do better than that Kallisa,” scolded the all-too-familiar voice of Niall Horan. “Come on,” he said, picking me up, even though I strongly protested. He took me into the alley and set me down. He crouched close to me.

I meowed, hoping he would understand my question.

“Come on, Kalli. You know I don’t speak cat,” he scolded. I meowed again, this time nodding my head around.

“So you don’t trust that we’re here alone, huh?” he asked, finally understanding what I’ve been trying to ask.

“We are. I wouldn’t break a promise now would I?” Niall stated, standing completely upright.

I sighed a content little cat sigh and Shift back into myself.

“Nice choice of outfit. Now you’re making me feel left out on the formal wear,” Niall scolded, with his soft laugh.

“What I’m wearing doesn’t matter,” I sassed, not having time for his little flirty games. “What matters is why the heck I’m here.”

“Well, I called you and asked you to meet me here. You agreed. Therefore, you are standing in my company,” he answered in his little smart aleck way.

“That’s not what I meant, Niall,” I replied through clenched teeth.

“Kalli, relax. It’s just you and me. Or don’t you trust me?” he asked, sounding hurt.

I unclenched my jaw and released my closed fists. “Of course I do. I just want to know why you would give our secrets away,” I said completely honest, but at the same time, trying to get somewhere with him.

“So you heard the news, huh? I should’ve guessed that you would. After all you are the famous Kallisa Jones. The one who killed her family and never even tried to save them. You just left them in that fire to die. You didn’t care about them. You never care about anyone. All you ever care about is the glory,” Niall said.

“That’s not true. If I didn’t care about anybody, then why am I even here?” I shouted back, not caring that other people could probably hear.

“You’re right. You do care. And that is your weakest characteristic. Why would I bring you into an alley just to talk? We could’ve easily went out to dinner or a movie. You are just plain foolish, Kallisa, to think that I would even care about you,” he said, emphasizing the last word.

I physically took a step backwards from the hurt. It must’ve been clear on my face because Niall started to laugh. Not his beautiful laugh that I loved to hear on a bad day. No. This was something way different. This was a laugh I didn’t know he was capable of. To be honest, it scared the crap out of me.

“Niall,” I whispered before I was grabbed from behind. “Niall!” I shouted, praying that he would help me.

“I can’t believe you trusted me, Kalli,” he said before I was knocked out cold.


	8. Mistress

When I came to my senses, I surveyed my surroundings. I was roped to a chair that was chained to the ground in a dusty old building. Just great.

“Looks like someone’s awake,” Niall sneered as he walked out of the shadows.

“Looks like someone’s an ass,” I replied.

“Feisty. I used to find that charming about you,” he answered back. Wait, he thought I was charming?

“Hate to disappoint you,” I sneered back, hoping my confusion didn’t read on my face.

“I’m never disappointed by you Kallisa. Except for that one thing from last night,” he said. “What was it? Oh yeah. You trusted me.”

“It’s not like you’ve never trusted anyone,” I snapped back.

“You don’t know that, do you Kallisa?” Niall questioned. “That was another thing. You thought you knew everything there was to know. But you’re wrong.” He advanced towards me. “Now tell me Kallisa, what was a pretty girl like you doing out in the big bad world?”

For once, I didn’t have a come-back for one of his remarks. He moved his thumb over my cheek.

“Does the little girl have nothing to say?” he jeered, then laughed a laugh that sounded nothing like the one I was used to. “Well, just let me know when you want to talk.” He pulled away from me and walked towards the seemingly only exit.

I watched him leave with little remorse. When I was sure that I was alone, I thought about what had happened in only a couple days. I was doing fine up until I agreed to meet Niall. The only thing that was keeping me from crying was the knowledge that Raini knew where I was. Hopefully she got worried enough to send people out to look for me.

I decided not to dwell on what may or may not be happening and focus instead on trying to bust out of here. The first thing I had to worry about was getting free. The main bondage was thick rope, so it can’t be easily cut. I can’t wiggle out of it; it’s far too tight to try something like that. I looked around the building and found a thick blade edge. The only problem was that it was too far away and I couldn’t move the chair.

I was contemplating on what to do next when a window behind me burst open. I straightened my back and became very conscience about what was going on behind me. I just hoped it wasn’t some crazy person who was trying to kill me. I mentally shook my head. I couldn’t afford to start going crazy right now.

“Kallisa,” I heard a slightly familiar whisper. The person who was behind me came into my view and I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Zayn,” I relaxed and let him cut me free.

“So, who the hell took you and where’s Niall?” he asked looking around.

“Well, Niall’s the one who took me,” I whispered. Now that I said it out loud, it sounded real.

Zayn eyes doubled in size. “Holy hell,” he mumbled. He looked just as shocked as I felt. He shook him head. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

“I don’t understand where you think you’re going,” a female accented voice rang out. Zayn and I stood frozen a couple feet from the window. Guards stepped out behind boxes with guns pointed at our heads.

“Have them turn around, will you?” the same voice said. The guards shifted their guns, indicating that we turn around. Like the sensible people that we are, we turned around. I couldn’t believe the person I saw. It was Leigh-Anne Pinnock.

She started out at NiMH as an initiate, just like everyone else. The thing that made her so different was the fact that she was unstable. She didn’t have a specific power that belonged to her. Instead, she could take anyone’s power that she wanted. Mr. Davis saw her as a threat and ordered her out immediately.

The same thing happened with 3 other girls. They seemed to all have the same characteristic and Mr. Davis was uneasy about them. He prevented them from ever coming back to any of the Institutes. Everyone thought they moved away and led a normal life. Judging by the position that I’m currently in, I’m guessing that that didn’t happen.

Zayn was the first to break out of the confusion. “Leigh-Anne?” he asked taking a step forward. The guards trained their guns at Zayn and he stepped back beside me.

“Surprise,” she said, heavy with sarcasm. “It’s so nice of you to stop by Zayn. I haven’t seen you since initiation.” She said, slowly walking towards us. “Those were some memorable times, weren’t they?”

Zayn seemed at a loss for words and I don’t blame him. I never knew Leigh-Anne personally, but she gives off a really bad vibe. She laughed and continued to walk towards us until she was a couple inches away.

“I never did figure out what your power was Zayn. Would you care to demonstrate?” she said a wicked smirk on her lips. Zayn seemed nervous as he stepped out of the circle of guards. Leigh-Anne watched eagerly. He wiped his palm on his jeans and took a deep breath. I didn’t realize that I was so intrigued, then it hit me. Zayn never said anything about his power, much less show it.

He stretched out his left arm and for a little bit, nothing happened. Then something shot from my left and ended up in Zayn’s hand. He held out his right arm and the same thing happened. Leigh-Anne smiled, clearly satisfied, and clapped. Her claps echoed off the walls of the building. At the same time, I realized what Zayn’s power was: control over inanimate objects.

“Bravo!” Leigh-Anne said sarcastically, yet pleased. “Now that I know what you can do, why don’t I try it for myself?” she smirked as she grabbed Zayn’s arm and closed her eyes. What I saw next was horrifying. The second Leigh-Anne touched Zayn’s arm, he fell to the ground in a lifeless heap. Leigh-Anne started to glow for a second, then returned to normal.

“Well that was fun,” she laughed evilly. She pointed to a crate on the opposite side of the room and dragged it over to her. She sat down on it and ushered a guard to take care of Zayn. With every fiber in my being, I hoped he was still alive.

“Niall!” she called. He stepped out of the shadows and quickly assessed the area. I saw him spot Zayn’s body and for a second, I swore I saw a bit of emotion in his eyes. “Yes Leigh-Anne?” he asked standing to the left of her.

“Tell me about your friend Kallisa,” she said calmly as though talking about the weather.

“She’s a murderer. And she was never my friend.”


	9. Delicate Trust

“Well, that’s quite a bold statement, Niall. Are you sure you actually want to say that? You may be hurting your ‘friend’s’ life,” Leigh-Anne said slyly.

“I meant what I said. She is not my friend and never will be,” Niall said, staring at me with pure disgust.

Leigh-Anne smiled venomously, tapping her fingertips on the fabric of her jeans. “Then take care of her. I don’t need her breathing a word about this to the others,” she said as she rose and spun around to leave. She snapped her fingers and her guards followed her out the single door. The door closed with an echoing bang.

“Scumbag!” I spat with as much hatred as I could gather, which just so happened to be a lot.

“Now, now. That’s not the way to talk to a friend,” Niall said as he stepped closer to me.

“Friend? Bullshit. You just told her we were never friends,” I snapped angrily.

“Didn’t it ever occur to you that I was lying?” he asked in his sweet voice that I would have believed a couple days ago.

“Didn’t it ever occur to you that I don’t trust you anymore?” my voice broke from all the pent-up anger.

“Kallisa, I’m going to get you out of here. There are plenty of reasons to not want to trust me. I know that. But please. Please believe me,” he begged, holding out his hand. I quickly thought about all the times he had my back and figured this couldn’t be any different. I mean, he was still the silly boy from NiMH, right?

“Okay,” I smiled, grabbing his hand. He smile back and stepped closer. I soon felt at ease again, like I could trust him with my life, even though he’s supposed to get rid of it. He pulled me into him and looked at me. All of a sudden, he leaned down and kissed me. At first I was surprised, but then I kissed him back.

“Finally,” I heard someone else in the room say. I jerked away from Niall and looked around to find the owner of the voice.

“Zayn,” I breathed out with relief. I ran over to him and hugged him close. “You’re alright.”

“Of course I’m alright,” he smiled, sitting up. “She just took my powers. She didn’t kill me,” he said a bit sarcastically.

“I’m so glad,” I said, pulling him in for another hug. “Isn’t this wonderful Niall?”

“Huh? Um, yeah,” he said, looking up from his watch.

“Kallisa, what’s going on?” Zayn whispered, looking confused. “We can’t trust him.”

“Zayn, you’re going to have to trust me on this one,” I said, hoping to convince him.

“I don’t know Kallisa,” he said skeptically. I gave him a pleading look. He sighed. “Alright, but I’ll seriously mess him up if anything happens,” he said, slightly smiling. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

I nodded and helped Zayn to his feet. He was a little weak, but able to walk on his own, despite my protests.

“This way,” Niall commanded, indicating for us to follow him. He led us through a maze of hallways until we reached a really obvious exit.

“Um, Niall. Are you sure that this isn’t going to be guarded?” I asked, knowing that it would be logical to guard such an obvious exit.

“Nonsense Kalli. You said you’d trust me, remember?” he questioned, looking like a little puppy that I just kicked.

“Yeah, you’re right,” you sighed. Niall nodded, with confirmation and told us to wait. He became invisible and walked outside. After a few seconds, he stuck his visible head back in. “All clear,” Niall said waving us towards him. We snuck passed the only guy on patrol. I thought that seemed really weird to only have one person guarding. I crossed the threshold of the door and was happy to be out of that musty building. But when I looked around, I wasn’t outside. I was in some weird kind of lab.

“Foolish Kalli. Why do you keep making this mistake?” Niall said, turning around abruptly.

“What?” I asked, from completely confusion. Suddenly, someone grabbed my arms from behind. My natural instincts took control and I spun tightly, making the person let me go. I twisted my body around and connected my foot to his shoulder. He fell on the cement floor clutching his hurt shoulder. I stood with my fists in front of my face, silently challenging anyone who wanted to fight me.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Zayn back away from a couple guards who were lying on the ground. He retreated towards me so that our backs were only centimeters apart from each other. I didn’t normally fight with Zayn, but we went through the same training. Therefore, we could predict each other’s moves well enough to fight together.

“What are you people waiting for? Get them!” Leigh-Anne ordered. Her guards took their eyes off the fallen guards and focused on us instead. One of the braver guards walked forward with a knife in his hand. He stepped with caution and a shaking hand. I was about to kick it out of his hand when it came flying towards us.

“Duck!” I yelled as I hit the floor. I heard a grunt and hoped that it was one of Leigh-Anne’s guards. Zayn fell next to me, holding the top of his shoulder. When he pulled his hand away, it was soaked in blood. I lightly gasped at the deep slash in his shoulder.

Suddenly, a light fell from the ceiling, separating us. We jumped out of the way right before it hit the floor, shattering into pieces.

“This is a really handy power, Zayn. No wonder you didn’t want to show anyone,” Leigh-Anne laughed before hurling a metal chain towards Zayn. The chain wrapped itself around him, rendering him useless.

“Now we’ll see how you like being the outcast. The one with nothing valuable to offer,” Leigh-Anne threatened, sauntering over to Zayn. She ranted on about how unfair her treatment had been. While she was doing that, I quickly surveyed the room, looking for Niall. I looked, but couldn’t find him. Then I remember the worst thing about him: his power. He could be anywhere in the room without anyone knowing.

I knew I had to get out of here first, then come back for Zayn. Hopefully I would be able to get back before anything unruly happened. I tried to inch towards the door, moving slow enough that no one noticed me. I was on the outside of the ring of guards and only a few feet away from the door.

“Where do you think you’re going Kalli?” questioned Niall’s voice. My head snapped towards the direction of the voice to find no one. Suddenly, I was kicked in the ribs and pushed down. “I’ve got her!” Niall shouted, becoming visible again.

The guards looked over at us, which was the wrong thing to do. Unexpectedly, the dirty windows of the lab broke and people poured through.


	10. Shattered

“What the hell?” Niall asked, staring at the stream of people coming in from the windows. I took his momentary distraction to my advantage. I swung my leg underneath him, making him fall onto the concrete floor. I grabbed his gun, stood up, and pointed it at him.

“Enough games, Horan. Why did you do this?” I asked, trying to steady my hand.

“Does it matter anymore?” he snapped, glaring at me. His answer took me off guard and I forgot what I was supposed to be doing. He took my confusion as an opportunity to kick his gun out of my hands and send it across the room. He flipped himself up so that he was standing only inches away from me. “What the matter Kalli? Cat got your tongue?” he smiled, obviously pleased with himself.

“No, but it’ll get yours,” I hissed. I quickly Shifted into a cat and launched myself at him. He was mystified momentarily as he hit the ground. I started to claw at his shirt and make sure that I made marks that would scar him for good. He yelled, changed into his invisible state, and threw me off him. I Shifted into a chameleon and played the same game that he was.

“Come on little Kalli,” Niall teased. “I won’t hurt you. All you have to do is believe me.” He had made his mistake. He spoke for too long. I Shifted into a lioness and pounced him. He became visible again and tried to break free. I roared in his face, making him shut up.

“Kallisa, down girl,” I heard Louis say from behind me. I stole a glance in his direction and immediately felt guilty under his gaze. I turned back to Niall and roared one last time, just for good measures. I stepped off him and Shifted back to myself again.

“Well, well, look what the cat dragged in,” Louis laughed at his own clever joke. Niall looked at the guards that started to surround him. “So Miss Jones, what exactly happened these past two days?” Louis asked, watching me with his kind eyes. The past two days! Exactly how long was I knocked out?

“Well,” I said and started to recount all the events that had happened, only omitting the part where Niall and I kissed. That would’ve been awkward for both of us. When I finished, Louis nodded in understanding and turned towards Niall.

“I would love to say that I’m an understanding person and that I’ll let you go, but sadly, I can’t do that. You are too much of a danger to everyone, especially Miss Jones. I will contact Mr. Davis and we will discuss your verdict,” Louis explained.

He focused on his guards. “Lock him in the backseat. I’m not taking any chances with this boy.” He then turned to me. “Thank you Kallisa. You may go and join your friends now.” He nodded over to my group of friends standing with their backs to me. “Thank you, Louis,” I replied before heading over to join my friends.

“Hey guys,” I beamed as though nothing weird had happened.

“Kallisa!” Raini rejoiced as she engulfed me in a tight hug. Soon all of them were hugging me like I would disappear if they stopped. “Guys,” I barely got out. They laughed and let me go.

“So, I guess we won’t be seeing Niall anytime soon,” Raini noted, looking over at the scene where I just was.

“Good riddance,” Kazia said, following Raini’s gaze. I didn’t say anything, because I wanted this to all be a dream and I’d wake up with the Niall I knew and loved, not this deceitful look-a-like.

“We should get back to the Institute,” Zayn said, noting my silence and changing the subject.

“That’s a good idea,” I chimed in, really wanting to go home and think over the events of the last couple days.

“Alright,” Raini said as Kazia nodded her head in agreement. The four of us left the building and walked back to the Institute 8 blocks away. That gave them plenty of time to tell me about the search party they sent out for me. They also told me that Zayn had found you and called Louis, which was why there was a sudden burst of people. I smiled at Zayn as he slightly blushed and returned my smile.

When we walked through the front doors, everyone started to surround us asking questions about what had happened. “Kallisa, what happened?” Like I could really answer that without sounding ridiculously stupid. “Kallisa, where’s Niall? Is he okay?” Well, Niall’s in custody and going in for questioning. As for the okay part, I’m going to go with no. “Kallisa, did you really sneak out?” How else do you think I could get away with meeting Niall and ending up with a search party?

The questions kept coming and I knew I would have to answer them eventually, even if I didn’t want to. All I wanted to do at the moment was go back to my room and be alone. I contemplated Shifting before Zayn spoke up.

“Your questions will be answered later. Kallisa’s in a bit of shock and needs to be alone. You can talk to her in a few days,” he stated, grabbing me by the arm and leading me to my room. “Thanks,” I said when we were far enough away. “I could tell you were ready to either Shift or kill someone, so I decided to help you out a bit,” he replied smiling. “You’re really starting to turn into my savior,” I joked. “Guess you’ll have to keep me around then,” he joked back.

The end of the hallway came to an end, meaning we were at my room. “Thank you Zayn,” I said, hugging him tightly. He hugged me back and whispered, “Anything for you.” I pulled away and smiled before quickly kissing him, hard. Before he could respond, I dashed back into my room and closed the door. I breathed out a sigh of relief and collapsed on my bed, starting to think about the future rather than the past.


	11. Epilogue

(One Month Later)

“Now onto our final order of business,” Mr. Davis said, standing at the front of the very expensive looking meeting room. “It seems to me that our Nebraskan institute needs a new second in command after Ms. Davis failed to complete the requirements needed to maintain her position. She has been denominated to officer in replacement of Mr. Horan,” Mr. Davis scolded in front of high ranking officials. Bridgette slumped her shoulders and took a sudden interest in her shoes.

“An anonymous source has recommended that Ms. Jones would suit the position nicely. I, however, think differently,” Mr. Davis stated, making me really nervous. If Mr. Davis didn’t think you were good for the job, then you probably weren’t.

“After the incident between Ms. Jones and Mr. Horan, I have been skeptical of her ability to keep her personal feelings out of a mission,” Mr. Davis pronounced. I knew that was going to be brought up. I’ll admit it was a stupid mistake and I should’ve have done it, but that doesn’t mean you can hold it over my head for the rest of my life. Next to me, Louis stood up.

“Ms. Jones is a very trusted and well liked person in our Institute,” Louis spoke up, “She has proven very valuable in multiple assignments due to her Shifting ability.” Zayn grabbed my hand, lightly squeezing it, and gave me a bright smile. I smiled back, still nervous about my verdict, as Louis sat down again.

“Thank you Mr. Tomlinson. My fellow officials, I have a proposition for you to consider: If Ms. Jones can complete the task we discussed prior to this meeting, only then will she receive the position of second in command,” Mr. Davis spoke before taking a seat at the head of the table. Suddenly, the entire room burst into conversation.

“Don’t worry Kal. They’ll choose to give you the position,” Zayn said, squeezing my hand for reassurance.

“I sure hope so,” I commented, not really knowing what the higher people thought of me. They were only here for casual conversation and a cup of coffee while I’m over here sweating buckets. I’m surprised Zayn hasn’t let go of my hand yet.

“Kallisa you are one of the most trusted people on the team. I’d be surprised if they didn’t let you be my second in command,” Louis said, lifting his head a little higher. Just then Mr. Davis called the room back to order.

“I have received a verdict from my fellow officials. Ms. Jones if you would make your way to the front of the room,” Mr. Davis said, making everyone look my way.

“You’ve got this Kal,” Zayn reassured me before I got up and stood in front of so many peering eyes.

“Ms. Jones, the committee and I have elected to give you the position of second in command at the Nebraska Institute if you are willing to accept your assignment. Do you accept full accountability for your assignment?” Mr. Davis asked.

“I accept,” I stuttered, barely getting the words past my lips.

“Mr. Aldrich would you please bring in her assignment,” Mr. Davis commanded to a younger guy in a gray suit. He nodded before exiting the huge double doors. In less than a minute, he reentered the room with someone dressed in all black.

“Ms. Jones, your assignment is to turn this boy around without personal matters getting in the way,” Mr. Davis explained. I thought that was a really weird request considering that I actually had a boyfriend who was sitting in this room. Besides how hard could it be anyway?

“Please let Ms. Jones know who she will be spending a lot of time with for the next couple months,” Mr. Davis said before the boy reached up and pulled his hood down, revealing his blond hair.

“Hey Kalli,” Niall said, showing a very small smile. It took all of my willpower not to spring myself at him and strangle him.

“Mr. Tomlinson will be reporting your progress every week. Once a month I will send Mr. Aldrich to survey you and Mr. Horan for a couple days. Good luck Ms. Jones. Meeting adjourned,” Mr. Davis said, grabbing his things and leaving the room, followed by all of the officials who attended the meeting.

I was still stood at the front of the room when Zayn ran up to me and hugged me tight. I barely registered him because I was too focused on the boy who ruined my reputation. Louis was talking to him, but he wasn’t paying attention either. He was too concerned with watching me.

“Kal?” I heard Zayn ask. I shook my head to clear my mind and turned to him. “I’ll be right here if you ever need me. I’ll make sure Niall doesn’t mess with my girl,” Zayn said, sounding very protective. I nodded as Louis and Niall walked out of the room.

Zayn grabbed my hand as I leaned my head onto his shoulder and we followed them out of the expensive building. I breathed in deeply as I realized exactly what I had gotten myself into.


End file.
